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LESSONS TO LEARN FROM FRANCE GLORIOUS VICTORY

French national team was crowned world champions after defeating an underdog Croatian team 4-2 in the World Cup final in Moscow on Sunday, capturing its second World Cup title and its first since it hosted the 1998 tournament 20 years ago. Les Bleus manager Didier Deschamps was the captain in 1998 when his team shocked Brazil in Paris, and on Sunday he became the third to ever win the World Cup as a player and coach.

Standouts for France in its victory: Paul Pogba advanced the ball 153 meters in the game (and got a goal too). Benjamin Pavard had 11 clearances, many when Croatia was looking very threatening. France’s first goal arrived off a Croatian’s head, and its second only after the intervention of the Argentine referee. But it was the next two goals, the low, hard shots that delivered the World Cup back into French hands, the goals that crowned its latest generation of stars, that confirmed what everyone knew even before its 4-2 victory over Croatia was complete: France was the best team in the field this summer in Russia, a potent mix of greatness, grit and good fortune. And now it can call itself the world champion again. We do not realize yet what we just did,” left back Lucas Hernández said. “When we arrive tomorrow in Paris, we will realize.” The title is France’s second, and its first since it won on home soil in 1998, and it ended a thrilling run by Croatia over the past five weeks. The Croats survived three consecutive extra-time games — and two penalty shootouts — in the knockout rounds to reach their first final, and they even had the better of the game on Sunday. But bad bounces and a better opponent made all the difference. “We have no regrets because we were the better team for much of the game,” said Croatia midfielder Luka Modric, who was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament’s outstanding player. “Unfortunately, some clumsy goals swung it their way.

France won by doing what it had done for six previous games: It fought off its opponent when it had to, and punished it when it could. And when the final whistle blew, its players raced off the bench in glee, gathering in jumping hugs and tossing their coach, Didier Deschamps, in the air. Deschamps, a midfielder on the 1998 France team, had become something a father figure for his young team, a guiding hand on the wheel, keeping everything in line on a methodical march toward the title.

In a match that featured anything you could have ever imagined, an own goal, a goalkeeper gaffe, pitch invaders and a teenager wunderkind finding the back of the net, France rolled to a convincing 4-1 lead and managed to hold on to earn its second star. A penalty-kick goal from Antoine Griezmann and goals from Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe were enough to lift one of the pre-tournament favorites to the title, capping off a magnificent run in the group stage and the knockout stage that featured wins over Australia, Peru, Argentina, Uruguay and Belgium. Here's everything you need to know about Sunday's wild final. It didn't take too long for this one to get going. Despite Croatia playing better in the first half, a mistake gifted the lead to France. Mandzukic headed the ball into his own goal 18 minutes in on a set piece to make it 1-0. Mandzukic became the first player to score an own goal in the World Cup final. For those counting at home, there have been 20 World Cup finals before Sunday's match.

TEAMWORK, DEDICATION, POSITIVE APPROACH, SPEED, AVOIDING MISTAKES ARE SOME OF THE LESSONS TO BE LEARNED FROM THE VICTORY.